Journal box lubricator



Feb. 5, 1963 R. J. HARKENRIDER JOURNAL BOX LUBRICATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Aug. 29. 1960 INVENTOR. ROBERT J. HARKENRIDER BY Wm AT TO RNEYS3,076,685 .FUURNAL BOX LUEPJUA'IGR Robert J. Harhenritier, Winona, Minn,assignor to Miller Lubricator Company, a corporation of Minnesota FiledAug. 29, 196i trier. No. 52,656 11 Claims. (Cl. 3tl8--243) My inventionrelates to a lubricator for railroad car journal boxes, and moreparticularly, to a lubricator for use in such boxes to lift oil bycapillary action to the journal.

Luoricators for railroad car journal boxes conventionally take the formof a packing package which is applied between the undersurface of thejournal and the floor of the journal box in what is commonly referred toas the oil cellar of the box.

Recently, these so-called packing packages have been designed to definea multi-lobe lubricator pursuant to efforts to improve lubrication andjournal contact.

The present invention relates to a three lobe lubricator arrangementcontemplating a continuous blanket looped about three resilient corebody members of novel shape to define a three lobe lubricator structureof improved oil lifting and applying characteristics.

A principal object of this invention is to provide a three lobelubricator in which the individual lobes are arranged and shaped tocooperate with each other and the journal box structure that theycontact in a manner that insures adequate journal lubrication under allpossible operating conditions.

A further important object of the invention is to provide a blanketarrangement for journal box packing packages that materially improvesthe oil feed to the journal.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a lubrica'tor that isreversible with consequent doubling of its useful life, to provide asimplified lubricator core structure for multi-lobe lubricators, and toprovide a lubricator that is inexpensive of manufacture, convenient toinstall, and efficient in use.

Other objects, uses and advantages will be obvious or become apparentfrom a consideration of the following detailed description and theapplication drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a transverse cross-sectional view through familiar parts ofa railroad car journal and journal box, showing the same equipped withthe lubricator of the present invention, parts of the lubricator beingshown in section;

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic exploded perspective view illustrating themain components of the lubricator of the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view through the longitudinalcenter portion of the larger core structure forming a part of the centerlobe of the illus trated lubricator;

FIGURES 4 and 5 are diagrammatic fragments] crosssectional views'throughthe lubricator blanket, approximately along lines 44 and S-5,respectively, of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a diagrammatic plan view, on a reduced scale, of the blanketmaterial before assembly to the configuration illustrated in FIGURE 2,showing the orientation of the blanket pile and pile forming capillarystrands, and the two blanket sections of this invention injuxtaposition;

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to that of FIGURE 4 but illustrating amodified form of blanket material in accordance with this invention;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmental perspective view of the center lobe core memberillustrating another modification of the invention; and

FIGURE 9 is a transverse sectional view of a modi- 3,d?b,585 FatentedFeb. 5, 1963 ice tied lubricator body side lobe structure in accordancewith this invention.

of the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally indicates a conventionaljournal box on a conventional axle journal 11 having a lubricatorpacking package according to my present invention, generally indicatedby reference numeral 12, placed between the lower portion of the journaland the bottom of the journal box in what is known as the oil cellar ofthe journal box.

The packing package 12 generally comprises a capillary blanket orenvelope structure 14 formed to define a center pocket 16 and spacedside pockets l8 and 20 that are adapted to receive the respective coremembers generally indicated by reference numerals 22, 24 and 26 todefine a lubricator having a center lobe 25 and side lobes 2'7 and 29(see FIGURE 1).

The blanket or envelope 14 in accordance with the present inventiongenerally comprises a pair of fabric sheets 3t each composed of an outerlayer or web 32 (see FIG- URES 4 and 5) stitched to an inner layer orweb 34 to define elongate pockets 36 in each of which are mountedcontinuous strands 38 formed from materials providing the best capillarylift action available.

The outer layer or web 32 may take the form of 12 /2 oz. (per squareyard) chafer cloth (canvasing) having a plain or basket weavearrangement, while the layer 3 may take the form of jute cloth ofsuitable specifications.

The layers or webs 32 and 34 of each sheet 36) are stitched together byappropriate continuous stitching strands 4b which are so oriented withrespect to the longitudinal axis of the lubricator that they extendtransversely of the lubricator, and thus of the journal, when thelubricator is applied to the box (see FIGURE 6).

In accordance with this invention, the stitching strands 4d are piledalong the outer surfaces of sheets 30 in the areas indicated byreference numerals 42., 44 and 46 (the darkened portions of strands 40in FIGURE 6 indicate the portions thereof that are stitched to definepile loops 47 of the type suggested by FIGURE 5). It will be seen thatthe piled areas 42, 44 and 46 form the upper surfaces of the respectivelobes of the lubricator; and, as indicated in FIGURES 2 and 6, the areas42, 44 and 46 are duplicated on both sides of the lubricator to make itreversible.

The blanket 14 in accordance with this invention is unpiled in the areasbetween the juxtaposed lubricator cores, as indicated by referencenumerals 48 and 50. To achieve this, the stitching strands 49 may eitherbe interrupted between the points 52 and 54 of FIGURES l and 6, or thestitching strands may be continuous but merely unpiled in these areas.

The layers 32 and 34 may be stitched somewhat as indicated at 56 inFIGURES 4 and 5, by strands 40a that are identical to strands 49, or inany other suitable manner, to form an appropriate blanket edging.

The high lift strands 38, 4t] and 46a should have capillary liftcharacteristics that exceed those of the layers 32 and 34 and thus maybe of the type described and claimed in Patent No. 2,943,378, grantedJuly 5, 1960; as already indicated, the individual strand-s 3'8 and 4bare continuous (see FIGURE 6) between the two opposed edges 5d of therespective sheets 3!} that are stitched together in the manner indicatedat 60 (FIGURES 1 and 2) to secure blanket sections 36 together and thusloop the blanket for reception of the core members 22, 24 and 26.

The individual pockets 16, 18 and 2b are defined by appropriatestitchings 62 and 64 applied down the mid portions of the unpiled areas48 and 50, respectively;

as these stitchings should be sufficiently loose to avoid cutting olfthe capillary feed of strands 38 and 40.

Preferably, the blanket sections 30, after the piling is completed, havesecured thereto a pull out strap 65 that is looped within the centerpocket 16 and formed to define a grommetted handle 67 for aiding inremoving the packing from the journal. Strap 65 may be arranged asdisclosed in my Patent No. 2,762,667, with grommet 69 being added andthe strap being secured to the individual blanket sections as bystitching 71 at the front and rear ends of the lubricator (FIGURE showsonly the rear end, but the front end is identical). In addition, fabricpads 73 and 75 are secured to the upper and lower lengths 77 and 79 ofstrap 65, by appropriate stitching 81 (see FIGURE 5). Pads 73 and 75 arepreferably formed from the needled waste blanket material disclosed inmy Patent No. 2,927,828, and form lubricant reservoirs under the blanketpiled areas 44, when the lubricator is fully assembled and in operativeposition in the journal.

In the alternate blanket arrangement illustrated in FIGURE 7, individualhigh lift strands 33a, of the same character above specified, areseparately applied to the respective pockets 36a, which thereby providesfor closer spacing of the pile forming stitching strands 40b, and thusof the pile loops. This embodiment of the invention is otherwise thesame as that shown in FIGURES l-6.

The individual core members 22, 24 and 26 of the embodiments of FIGURESl-8 may be formed from suitable foam or sponge materials having thedesired resilient characteristics (polyurethane foams are preferred),and in accordance with this invention, these core memhers have thespecific cross sectional configurations indicated in FIGURES 1 and 2.

Thus, the center core member 22 is of hexagon crosssectionalconfiguration having generally planar upper and lower surfaces 70 and72, which become curved slightly when the lubricator is applied to thejournal box (see FIGURE 1); the center core member is furthercharacterized by laterally extending pointed projections 74 which extendalong the sides of the center core member 22 and project outwardlytherefrom sidewise of the lubricator. In the arrangement of FIGURES land 2, the pointed projections 72 are defined by planar surfaces 76 and78 on either side of the center core member.

The core members 24 and 26 are each of pentagon section transversely ofthe lubricator and are formed to define integrally united rectangularsection portions 80 and triangular section portions 82 comprising ahouse or recto-triangular shaped sections, and in their operativepositions, the core members 24 and 26 are disposed with respect to thecenter lobe member 22 so that the apexes S4 defined by the side lobecore members are disposed adjacent a pointed edge or apex 74 of thecenter core member (see FIGURE 1).

Preferably, the core members 24 and 26, and the pockets 18 and 20 intowhich they are to be inserted, are proportioned so that when theassembled lubricator is applied to the box, only the center lobe 25 willcontact the journal, in accordance with the teachings of my applicationSerial No. 853,218, filed November 16, 1959 (the entire disclosure ofwhich is incorporated herein by this reference). Also, the pilelessareas 48 and 50 are made substantially coextensive with the lateraldimension of the pointed projections 74 and 84 defined by the coremembers when the lubricator is in assembled relation (see FIGURE 1).

After the blanket 14 has been formed in the manner indicated, but withthe strap lengths 77 and 79 still separated at the forward end of thelubricator, the core members 22, 24 and 26 are disposed within therespective pockets 16, 18 and 20 that are defined by the blanket. Thelengths 77 and 79 of strap 65 then may be secured together andgrommetted to form handle 67, this securing core member 22 within itspocket 16. The edges of the upper and lower blanket sections 30 may bestitched together at the front and rear ends of the lubricator to closeoff pockets 18 and 20 and thereby secure core members 24 and 26 againstdisplacement.

Preferably, the center core member 22 is provided with several metalspring members to insure its continued contact with the journal, such asthe helical springs shown in FIGURE 3. The springs 90 may be applied tothe core member 22 by first coring out the core member to the sizerequired to readily accommodate the respective springs 90, or, the coremember 22 may be foamed to size about the respective springs 90. In anyevent, metal or plastic spring caps 91 are preferably inserted betweenthe respective ends of springs 90 and the pads 73 and 75, to serve aswear surfaces for these springs.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 8, a continuous high lift strand is wrappedabout the center core members 22a before it is inserted in its pocket16. The strand 100 preferably is wrapped about the entire length of thecore member 22a and desirably is formed from the material on the orderof that specified in said Patent No. 2,943,- 378.

The convolutions of the strand 100 form more or less direct high liftcapillary paths between the lower portion of the journal box and thepiled surface 44 of the lubricator, and thus facilitate oil lift to thejournal. Obvious- ]y, the strand 100 may be formed by one or morestrands, whether or not physically connected.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 9, the side lobe core members 24 and 26 areeach replaced by a core member 102 formed from the needled waste blanketmaterial of my said Patent No. 2,927,828, and may take the form of a pad104 comprising several superposed lengths 106 of such blanket materialsecured together in any suitable manner, as by stitching or an adhesive,or both. Pad 104 should be formed so as to retain pointed projections84.

When the assembled lubricator of this invention is applied to the box10, the center lobe 25 is compressed to work it under the journal 11. Asalready mentioned, the lobes are proportioned so that only the centerlobe contacts the journal, and consequently, this is the only portion ofthe lubricator requiring material deformation to apply it to thejournal.

Furthermore, the juxtaposition of the pointed edges or apexes 74 and 84of the center and side core members respectively insure that the sidelobes are spaced from the center lobe with contact between the side andcenter lobes being avoided when the lubricator is in its operativeposition in the box. Since the capillary lift to the piled surface 44,which actually forms the applicator surface of the lubricator, isthrough spaces between the fibers of the individual strands and yarnsforming the strands 38 or 38a and stitching strands 40, 40a or 40b,rather than through spaces between individual pile loops, the pile inthe areas indicated 48 and 50 may be eliminated as it serves no usefulpurpose.

It will be found that the lubricator of this invention will provideadequate journal lubrication under the most arduous conditions; however,it is formed from inexpensive materials that are readily obtainable andthus has advantages of low cost of manufacturing in addition to the easeof installation and efficiency of operation.

The foregoing description and the drawings are given merely to explainand illustrate my invention and the invention is not to be limitedthereto, except insofar as the appended claims are so limited, sincethose skilled in the art who have my disclosure before them will be ableto make modifications and variations therein without departing from thescope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a lubricator pad including an applicator surface for applyinglubricant to a journal, said pad comprising a pair of fabric sheetssecured together by spaced parallel stitching rows to define a pluralityof elongate pockets, and continuous capillary strands received withinand extending substantially coextensively with said pockets, saidstrands having capillary lift characteristics that exceed those of saidsheets.

2. The pad set forth in claim 1 wherein said stitching rows are definedby capillary strands, the last mentioned strands being formed to definepile loops across said applicator surface.

3. The pad set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said pockets contain asingle capillary strand.

4. The pad set forth in claim 1 wherein a plurality of said capillarystrands are disposed in each of said pockets.

5. In a lubricator for a railroad car journal box of the type in whichthe floor of the box serves as an oil reservoir and oil is lifted by thelubricator to the undersurface of a car axle journal that extends intothe box, said lubricator comprising a multi-lobe body including arelatively large center lobe, and a relatively small side lobe on eitherside of said center lobe, said body being proportioned to extendlongitudinally of the journal when applied to the box between thejournal undersurface and the box floor, said center lobe beingproportioned to extend between the box floor and the journal and becompressed when the lubricator is so applied to the box, said smalllobes being proportioned to be spaced from said journal when thelubricator is applied to the box, said body and said lobes thereof beingdefined by a center core member, a side core member on either side ofsaid center core member, and a blanket structure looped about said coremembers and having the portions thereof above and below said coremembers stitched together between said center and side core members toform pockets for the respective core members, said center core membercomprising a resilient body formed to define pointed projections alongthe side edges thereof, a strap member looped to bring its ends intojuxtaposition and interposed in the center lobe pocket about said centercore member, said strap member being secured to the blanket structureabove and below said center core member, and having said ends projectout of the front end of the lubricator to form a handle, and a fabricpad interposed between said upper surface of said center core member andsaid blanket structure, said fabric pad serving as a lubricant reservoirwhen the lubricator is in operative position in the journal andextending substantially the length of said lubricator, said side coremembers each being formed to define a pointed projection along the sideedge of each that is adjacent the center core member, said blanketstructure having a piled applicator surface along the top portion ofsaid center lobe, said applicator surface extending continuouslylongitudinally of the lubricator.

6. The lubricator set forth in claim 5 wherein said side core memberscomprise resilient foam bodies.

7. The lubricator set forth in claim 5 wherein said side core memberscomprise fabric bodies composed of one or more layers of needled wastematerial.

3. In a lubricator for a railroad car journal box of the type in whichthe floor of the box serves as an oil reservoir and oil is lifted by thelubricator to the undersurface of a car axle journal that extends intothe box, said lubricator comprising a multi-lobe body including arelatively large center lobe, and a relatively small side lobe on eitherside of said center lobe, said body being proportioned to extendlongitudinally of the journal when applied to the box between thejournal undersurface and the box floor, said center lobe beingproportioned to extend between the box floor and the journal and becompressed when the lubricator is so applied to the box, said smalllobes being proportioned to be spaced from said journal when thelubricator is applied to the box, said body and said lobes thereof beingdefined by a center core member, a side core member on either side ofsaid center core member, and a blanket looped about said core membersand having the portions thereof above and below said core membersstitched together between said center and side core members to formpockets for the respective core members, said center core member beingformed to define pointed projections along the side edges thereof, saidside core members each being formed to define a pointed projection alongthe side edge of each that is adjacent the center core member, saidblanket having a piled applicator surface along the top portion of saidcenter lobe, said applicator surface extending continuouslylongitudinally of the lubricator, said blanket comprising two fabricsheets stitched together by a plurality of stitching rows extendingtransversely of the lubricator, said stitching rows defining elongatepockets extending transversely of the lubricator, and continuouscapillary strands interposed between said sheets and within therespective elongate pockets of said blanket, said strands havingcapillary lift characteristics that exceed those of said sheets.

9. In a lubricator for a railroad car journal box of the type in whichthe floor of the box serves as an oil reservoir and oil is lifted by thelubricator to the undercurface of a car axle journal that extends intothe box, said lubricator comprising a multi-lobe body including arelatively large center lobe, and a relatively small side lobe on eitherside of said center lobe, said body being proportioned to extendlongitudinally of the journal when applied to the box between thejournal undersurface and the box floor, said center lobe beingproportioned to extend between the box floor and the journal and becompressed when the lubricator is so applied to the box, said smalllobes being proportioned to be spaced from said journal when thelubricator is applied to the box, said body and said lobes thereof beingdefined by a center core member, a side core member on either side ofsaid center core member, and a blanket looped about said core membersand having the portions thereof above and below said core membersstitched together between said center and side core members to formpockets for the respective core members, said center core member beingformed to define pointed projections along the side edges thereof, saidside core members each being formed to define a pointed projection alongthe side edge of each that is adjacent the center core member, saidblanket having a piled applicator surface along the top portion of saidcenter lobe, said applicator surface extending continuouslylongitudinally of the lubricator, said lubricator including continuouscapillary strand means wrapped about said center core member, saidstrand means having capillary lift characteristics that exceed those ofsaid blanket.

1O. In a lubricator for a railroad car journal box of the type in whichthe floor of the box serves as an oil reservoir and oil is lifted by thelubricator to the undersurface of a car axle journal that extends intothe box, said lubricator comprising a multi-lobe body including arelatively large center lobe, and a relatively small side lobe on eitherside of said center lobe, said body being proportioned to extendlongitudinally of the journal when applied to the box between thejournal undersurface and the box floor, said center lobe beingproportioned to extend between the box floor and the journal and becompressed when the lubricator is so applied to the box, said smalllobes being proportioned to be spaced from said journal when thelubricator is applied to the box, said body and said lobes thereof beingdefined by a center core member, a side core member on either side ofsaid center core member, and a blanket looped about said core membersand having the portions thereof above and below said core membersstitched together between said center and side core members to formpockets for the re spective core members, said center core member beingformed to define pointed projections along the side edges thereof, saidside core members each being formed to define a pointed projection alongthe side edge of each that is adjacent the center core member, saidblanket having screens a piled applicator surface along the top portionof said center lobe, said applicator surface extending continuouslylongitudinally of the lubricator, said center core member having springmeans mounted within same for biasing the center lobe against thejournal when the lubricator is applied to the box, said pring meanscomprising at least one helical compression spring extending between theupper and lower sides of said center core member, and a rigid spring capinterposed between each end of said spring and said blanket, said springends bearing against the respective caps when the lubricator is appliedto the box.

11. In a lubricator for a railroad car journal box of the type in whichthe floor of the box serves as an oil reservoir and oil is lifted by thelubricator to the undersurface of a car axle journal that extends intothe box, said lubricator comprising a body proportioned to extendlongitudinally of the journal when the lubricator is applied to the boxbetween the journal undersurface and the box floor, said body beingproportioned to extend between the box floor and the journal and becompressed when the lubricator is so applied to the box, said body beingdefined by a core member and a blanket structure looped about said coremember including capillary means for supplying oil to the journal, saidcore member comprising a resilient cellular mass proportioned to distendsaid blanket structure to provide said proportioning of said body withrespect to said journal and the box floor, at least one helical springelement extending between the upper and lower sides of said mass insubstantial alignment with the longitudinal center of said body, and animpermeable spring element cap interposed between each end of saidspring element and said blanket structure for forming a wear surfacebetween the respective spring element ends and said blanket structure,said spring element ends bearing against the respective spring caps whenthe lubricator is applied to the box.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,713,524 Hagy July 19, 1955 2,762,667 Harkenrider Sept. 11, 19562,807,803 Rockwell Sept. 24, 1957 2,814,600 Mitchell Nov. 26, 19572,939,752 Rockwell June 7, 1960 3,008,780 McGrath Nov. 14, 1961

1. IN A LUBRICATOR PAD INCLUDING AN APPLICATOR SURFACE FOR APPLYINGLUBRICANT TO A JOURNAL, SAID PAD COMPRISING A PAIR OF FABRIC SHEETSSECURED TOGETHER BY SPACED PARALLEL STITCHING ROWS TO DEFINE A PLURALITYOF ELONGATE POCKETS, AND CONTINUOUS CAPILLARY STRANDS RECEIVED WITHINAND EX-